Why an ex-Patriots exec believes team should pursue Dalvin Cook more than DeAndre Hopkins
“[Rhamondre] Stevenson is a great player. There’s no question, but without Stevenson, if he goes down it’s Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris."
As the Patriots pursue DeAndre Hopkins, a former team executive thinks they should also consider adding another Pro Bowler.
Dalvin Cook should be another player the Patriots target in free agency in the weeks leading up to training camp, Mike Lombardi argued on Friday’s “Pat McAfee Show.” In fact, Lombardi thinks that pursuing Cook should be a bigger priority than going after Hopkins for the Patriots, citing possible depth concerns.
“I actually believe Dalvin Cook would be a better fit than Hopkins for [the Patriots],” Lombardi said, discussing the Patriots’ depth at running back. “[Rhamondre] Stevenson is a great player. There’s no question, but without Stevenson, if he goes down it’s Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris. They need another [running] back back there, and I think Cook is one of those really good change of pace, catch a screen, go a long way. I think he’ll make a huge difference for the Patriots offense with Stevenson.”
The Patriots’ running back room does have some unknowns behind Stevenson. Strong, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft, only played 51 offensive snaps last season. Harris, a sixth-round pick in 2022, played 53 offensive snaps. Rookie running backs not getting a lot of playing time isn’t necessarily new in New England as Bill Belichick and Co. have often used Year 1 as a de facto redshift year many times in the past.
Still, the only other veteran running back the Patriots have on the roster beyond Stevenson and two relatively inexperienced running backs is Ty Montgomery. The 30-year-old was the Patriots’ passing-down running back to open the 2022 season, but that lasted only a week as he suffered an injury that ended his opening year in New England in Week 1. Montgomery has only rushed for over 300 yards in a season once in his eight-year career and hasn’t posted at least 400 combined yards of offense since 2018.
Meanwhile, not many running backs have helped move the ball more since Cook in recent years. Cook has rushed for at least 1,100 yards in each of the last four seasons, including 1,173 yards last season on 4.4 yards per carry. He’s also added at least 250 receiving yards in four of the last five seasons, recording 221 receptions over his six-year career.
Cook could go hand-in-hand with Hopkins when they both pick their next destination. Cook recently told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that he’d be open to joining forces with Hopkins and potentially playing together next season.
As of now, the Patriots haven’t shown any known interest in Cook, at least not to the point that they have with Hopkins. New England hosted Hopkins on a visit on June 14 and 15, with the Patriots reportedly feeling optimistic about their chances of signing him.
Lombardi thinks that if Hopkins “does a deal that fits within [Patriots’] salary structure,” they could land him.
“The Patriots have a ton of cap room. So, if they signed Hopkins, I think it would be about getting the right deal for this season, taking a look at him,” Lombardi said. “Now, we know he doesn’t practice all the time. We know his work habits in the past haven’t been to the same level of the Patriots.
“But we also know the head coach respects the hell out of his game. So, I just get the sense that this will end up [where he] won’t take less money, which will kind of kill this. But I do think that you know, obviously, there’s interest on both parts.”
The Patriots have a little more than $13 million in cap space at the moment.
In the event that the Patriots somehow land either Hopkins or Cook (or both), Lombardi thinks that Jones still has to show signs of improvement in 2023 in order for New England to take the next step.
“I think Mac Jones has to play better,” Lombardi said. “His rookie year, he played well. But he still had a 2.5 interception percentage on that season. Last season, he was exactly at 2.5 again. He’s got to protect the football. He can’t make costly mistakes. He’s got to do the things the offense [gives him] and take profits. We talk about this all of the time in the NFL, take the profits. Take the checkdown.”
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